One thing they never mention in books and articles is how messy canning can be. All those tools and all that stickiness, it's definitely something to clean up.
I stared at the sink with the tools with stuck on jam wondering how much water I would waste scrubbing them and trying to get it all off...
...and then I saw the jam pan that was definitely covered in a thick, sticky mess.
Then I remembered the stockpot full of still hot water! I just dropped all the items in there for a few minutes, swirled it around and voila, the jam melted off and they were ready for regular 'easy' washing.
After taking the tools out of the water and putting them in the sink for washing, I took the still really hot water and poured it into the jam pan. A few spins of the spoon and we had a clean(er) pan to wash as normal.
It really made life much easier (and 2nd Man was none the wiser!). I would highly recommend, if you can jam or jelly or anything else messy, don't dump out your waterbath hot water until you've used it to help you pre-clean everything else.
And tip of the hat to Pooka and Mommy that suggested using the water to pour onto the garden or flower beds. Totally waste free! Great suggestion!
Thats a good tip for re-cycling the hot water will have to remember that one :-)
ReplyDeleteIt was a great way to clean up something sticky and messy without scrubbing for hours, ha.
DeleteGreat tip. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteRosezeeta.
Well thank you!!
DeleteOnce you let the water cool to room temp (usually a few hours) you can just dump the water in your garden to add one more use to it. This is what we usually do when we can.
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestion, and I updated the post above to reflect your great idea!
DeleteI dump mine in the water barrel.
DeleteOur city has a few weird laws on water barrels, so we haven't gotten to that part yet. We are still fairly new at this. But thank you 1st man for the little update. This saves us wasting it and turning on the hose to water that section, especially in late summer.
DeleteIf it's still boiling hot, you can use it on weeds to kill them, too.
DeleteMy mother taught me this when I was a kid. Of course, back then, that's what kids were taught....common sense stuff
ReplyDeleteHa, common sense is something that is lost at times in this modern day and age, lol.
DeleteNow THIS was refreshing! I get so tired of seeing the plated food with glorious descriptions, when it's just food. Never does anyone show the aftermath in the kitchen and I applaud you for opening the door!
ReplyDeleteHa, the good the bad and the ugly. I didn't want people to think it was all goodness and light, haha. But I wanted to think of some way to clean up a bit easier and share it.
DeleteMuch easier and quicker and "greener"! Good one!
ReplyDeleteTexas Rose
Thank you! Necessity is the mother of invention as they say. :-)
DeleteAn old saying goes "Waste not, Want not". Still very true for today. People years back did this for economic reasons, today, we do it for ecologic reasons. Thumbs up for a good save. M
ReplyDeleteI never thought of the boiling water. I just use the cooking pot and fill with hot, soapy water and put it all in there to "melt" off. After cleaning up the messy counters, the pot of stuff is ready to be cleaned. Of course, I think you should come over next time I can something and show me how to use the boiling water to clean up. I need to "see" it in action. :)
ReplyDelete